Energy Department Awards $7M to Advance Hydrogen Storage Systems

Sandia researcher Chris San Marchi displays components the team has studied for compatibility with hydrogen. Gaseous hydrogen has the unique characteristic that it liberates atomic hydrogen when in contact with surfaces. The released atomic hydrogen dissolves into materials and can alter their structural properties, a process often referred to as hydrogen embrittlement.

On May 19th, the DOE announced $7M for six projects (five in California + PPG Industries in North Carolina) to develop lightweight, compact, and inexpensive advanced hydrogen storage systems that will enable longer driving ranges and help make fuel-cell systems competitive for different platforms and vehicle sizes.

These advances in hydrogen storage will be critical to the widespread hydrogen and fuel-cell technology commercialization. Sandia, California, will receive $1.2M to systematically screen low-cost alternative materials for use in hydrogen storage systems.

Sandia National Laboratories is a multi-program laboratory managed and operated by Sandia Corporation, a wholly owned subsidiary of Lockheed Martin Corporation, for the U.S. Department of Energy’s National Nuclear Security Administration under contract DE-AC04-94AL85000.